My Juliet and Her Romeo
by la Pianissima
Summary: Rokudo Mukuro just had to let her go. He just had to let her be free. Chrome is growing up fast, and little by little, he feels he's not part of her life anymore. 69/96 , 18/96 - It'll depend on the progression.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** My Juliet and Her Romeo

**Character/s:** Dokuro Chrome, Mukuro Rokudo and Hibari Kyoya

**Genre:** Hurt/Comfort

**Summary:** Rokudo Mukuro just had to let her go. He just had to let her be free. Chrome is growing up fast, and little by little, he feels he's not part of her life anymore.

**A/N: **I won't be sure this would work, since I'm not familiar with Mukuro's behavior and attitude. Anyways, I finished this in one day and I'm not that confident you'll like it.

If this story reached my target number of reviews, then I'll continue writing this piece of art. It will be: 69x96x18, it depends.

I do not own KHR! Amano Akira does!

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**MY JULIET AND HER ROMEO**

_la Pianissima_

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_**Rokudo Mukuro just had to let her go. He just had to let her be free. Chrome was growing up. She's discovering new things about life and he's too hurt to know he's not part of it.**_

**She might be in love,**_** he thought. **_**NO!**_** He couldn't accept that, he couldn't bear to acknowledge that fact. In his eyes, Chrome was still a child: innocent, defenseless, weak and gullible. He believes that she stills need him for guidance. But no more. He feels that she can already handle herself. She's already 15, for heaven's sake. Even if she was just a mere vessel for him, he still cared. He still favored. And he loves her.**_

_[ Mukuro's POV ]_

_Maybe it was a bad idea to send her to school. Aside from educational knowledge, there are other things she could learn…like love. Damn. No. not that._

"Mukuro-sama…?" Chrome's voice lingered in my ears. The angelic hymn had awoken me from my melodramatic realization.

I turned my head around and saw her standing by the door, her right hand in mid-air. She must've knocked before she spoke my name.

"What is it, Chrome?" I asked, turning my head back around. I don't want to look into her eyes, so innocent, so pure. I just want to lunge and hug her then and there. I forgot I was staring at the old, mossy window. Suddenly, a dark, mushy black dot appeared on the opaque window glass.

"I'm going to school now and I won't be back until tomorrow afternoon. I already instructed Ken and Chikusa to buy your medicine and do the grocery. I finished teaching MM and Fran how to prepare some basic meals." She said with clear confidence. She has change, way too much. Since when did she learn how to cook?

Before, Chrome occasionally smiles but now, she does it everyday. And I'm deeply hurt that I'm not the cause of her happiness. It might be selfish of me, but it's the truth. I love Chrome.

"But isn't today a Saturday?" I asked.

"Yes, but we have to prepare for our School Festival the Monday after next week. My class will be doing a Shakespearian play."

"A play? Kufufufu~ Are you participating Chrome?" I asked in great interest. It will be refreshing to see a new face of Chrome.

"Y-yes. We will be performing R-romeo and J-j-juliet…I got chosen to be Juliet…" I turned my head around again. Chrome was blushing. She was very cute. I never noticed how good she looks on her Namimori uniform, but her Kokuyo uniform suits her better.

"Oya oya! You got the main role?! Kufufu~ Congratulations~ But, tell, me, who is playing Romeo? Is it Vongola?"

"Eeeh? No. Bossu is playing as my father, Lord Capulet."

"Then who is it?" I don't trust anyone else to touch my Chrome except for Sawada and his girl posses.

"H-hibari Kyoya is…" Ah, how I love how the world works. I never thought the red strings of destiny would pair up my Chrome to that Skylark. How despicable.

"Kufufufu~" I laughed silently at myself. Then a beeping sound rang.

"Ano… Mukuro-sama, I have to go now. Kyo-kun just texted me. He's waiting for me outside. I'll see you tomorrow then. Please take care." I heard her footsteps fading as she ran down the corridor.

Wait. Did she just say 'Kyo-kun'?

Kyo-kun?!

KYO-KUN?!

**KYO-KUN?!**

**KYO-KUN?!**

Sawada Tsunayoshi hasn't even had the guts to call that aloof Skylark by his first name! How could my Chrome…? There's something fishy goin' on here.

I saw the black dot from my blurry window faded and disappeared. I stood there for an hour, thinking deeply. That tonfa guy would never hit on my Chrome. He's not that type of person. He's anti-social, he hates gatherings, and he hates me. Chrome is like my second body. He would never dare touch my property.

But… there is that possibility…

I don't know what happened next. Everything went in a blur. One moment I was in Kokuyo, the next, I found myself in front of Namimori gate.

"Rokudo Mukuro." I heard a familiar voice.

"Kufufufu~ Hibari Kyoya, aren't you supposed to be practicing, oh, my dear Romeo~?" I teased him. But why I did that I did not know. I forgot to bring my trident. Why was I feeling this way? Why is it that my heart seems like an invisible hand is clutching it with no plans of letting go?

"How did you know about that?" He glared at me, eyes with malicious intent. His ever-so-near tonfas were automatically out, ready to beat the crap out of me.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out~ I have no time to deal with you, skylark. But I will watch your play, kufufu~" I disappeared through my mists. Why was I there in the first place? Why did seeing the aloof cloud hurt me?

Am I jealous? No. Impossible. Why would I be jealous?

_[ End of Mukuro's POV ]_

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Crappy ending. I'm sorry. Like I said earlier, I'll continue this (it may be only one or two chapters more) if I reach a target number of reviews. If you don't like it, then don't review.  
If you want to keep the story going, then please review, onegaishimasu~?

Oh, and thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**And so, after 5 months, the 10****th**** reviewer reviewed. And with that, I shall continue with the long awaited Chapter 2!**

OOC HIBARI. I'M SO SORRY HIBARI FANS. I'M NEW TO WRITING HIBARI AND HE'S SO **OOC **HERE. PLEASE DON'T BITE ME TO DEATH!

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**My Juliet and Her Romeo – Chapter 2**

While patrolling the corridors for rule breakers, Hibari found his way back to his office. And as expected, Chrome was already there. She was, despite the rules of no food/drinks inside the main building, preparing tea for the disciplinary head. Hibari didn't mind since the tea was for him.

"Oh, Kyo-kun," She stared at him for a while. He acknowledged her presence by nodding at her, signaling for her to bring him his tea.

"Nn." Hibari sipped his tea while reading some pieces of papers. Chrome smiled slightly and sat one of the couches in the office. She, too, was reading a piece of paper.

"Nagi?" Hibari suddenly said Chrome's real name, which made the maiden blush.

"Y-yes?"

"Tybalt. Who's he?"

"Uhm, I think it was Yamamoto-kun . . ." Chrome replied.

"I see."

Silence followed. Chrome was unable to focus memorizing her script since it was awkward to hear the scary Hibari Kyoya call her by her _real_ name. She sighed and tried to focus.

_**OooOO-flashback-OOooO**_

Dino-sensei was the one to arrange the play and he's the director as well. When he announced the names of those lucky people who gets a roll via random lottery lots, Hibari started to rampage. But Dino stopped him immediately.

"Come on Kyoya, it's your last year here in Namimori. At least participate in one of the school activities!" Truthfully, it was true, and the more Hibari stayed silent, the more Dino made a point. So, out of his love for Namimori, Hibari agreed on joining the play and Dino placed his name on the lottery box. And a minute later, he got Romeo's role. And Chrome got Juliet's.

"Ahh! Perfect! Now you two," Dino referred to Hibari and Chrome, "Here's the script, practice as much as you can."

"I'll bite you to death after the festival, haneuma." Hibari hissed, clearly annoyed at the turn of events. It would help him a great deal if he got one of the minor roles, like Mercutio or Tybalt since they get to fight. Although Romeo gets to fight as well, it's not the same when you know you just gonna die in the end. A waste of acting, as he might say.

"L-let's do our, b-best, Kumo-san . . ." Chrome stuttered, hiding her blushing face by placing the script in front of her.

_Oh dear, _Dino thought. Hibari sighed.

"Dokuro, my office, now." The Cloud ordered, his rough voice sounded highly demanding.

"E-eh?!"

"If you stammer like that on stage and disgrace me, I'll bite you to death." His menacing glare froze the purple hair and even the rest of the class.

"He means he wants to practice with you in his office, Chrome-chan. Go on, he won't bite you. I trained him not to hurt innocent women." Dino gave Chrome a pat on the back and shoved her to the door. Hibari's gaze fell upon him now.

"And to initiate the intimacy between Romeo and Juliet, why don't both of you call each other by your names, okay? Just so the two of you can be comfortable with each other. So, Kyo-kun and Chrome-chan." Dino felt so excited that Hibari's death glare didn't even affect him. The blonde gave the couple a small wink and pushed them out of the class room.

"Ah—uhm, K-kyo-k-kun . . ." Chrome tried her best, but she just won't stop stammering.

"Let's go, _Chrome_." Hibari emphasized every syllable, playing along to the haneuma's game. For once, he felt at ease. If any other girl were Juliet, he'd gone and bitten everyone in class to death already. But Chrome, she was different. She's quiet. He likes that. She's not too social and doesn't attract crowds. He likes that. She's clumsy yet reliable. He likes that.

"Nagi." Chrome suddenly said.

"What?"

"My real name is Nagi, b-but only Mukuro-sama calls me that . . . S-sorry, kumo-san."

"Hnn. Nagi it is." _It's much easier to pronounce than KU-RO-MU. _ Hibari smirked.

_KU-RO-MU DO-KU-RO_

_MU-KU-RO RO-KU-DO_

Yes, he doesn't like anything related to that wretched pineapple, much less say his name backwards, so Nagi it is.

_**OooOO-end of flashback-OOooO**_

"Nagi." Hibari said after a while.

"What is it?"

"I want to see how you act." He won't admit it, but last night, Hibari, being the _I-won't-be-defeated-by-any-thing-especially-that-haneuma's-stupid-play_ type of person, went and watched some videos of the play in the net. He was a fast learner, so the basic rules in acting were like a breeze for him.

"B-but—"

"Don't stutter."

For a few minutes, Hibari guided Chrome on the rules of acting and with a bit of patience, she learned fast. Her body gets stiff every now and then, but she tries hard to move. She had determination. She wanted to act. And Hibari is teaching her well.

"Now if only I can teach you how to bite people to death . . ."He mumbled to himself, amused at how fast this girl can learn. Not only have they finished the last act, in which both of them were to die, they also finished with their marriage scene. But the blushing Chrome made it hard for the man to maintain a serious atmosphere. So they decided to drop it and practice for the most famous act in the said play: The Balcony Scene.

". . . It is my lady, oh, it is my love— What are you laughing at?" Hibari stopped as a soft giggle came out from the Mist's lips. He didn't realize that he slightly blushed.

"Kyo-kun, this is the heart of the play. You should put more feelings to it." Chrome said, hiding her giggles. It was weird hearing swooning words, yet the speaker's voice is too cold. He was better a few minutes ago.

"Fine. You do your lines then. Start at line 35." Hibari frowned, not amused at all to have someone laugh at him, _at his acting_. Chrome nodded and she cleared her voice. For a moment, she closed her eyes, visualizing the scene, as what one of Hibari's rules said so, and with an exhale, she started blushing. After all, Juliet in this scene was fantasizing about her beloved Romeo.

"Oh Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" With confidence, she let out the lines with all the feministic feelings she could find in herself. When she thought of Mukuro-sama, her friends and everyone, it fueled up her passion and made that single line live like it was Juliet in the flesh. Hibari was silently filled with Chrome's aura. Her innocence breached his steel-grey eyes, making those pair of orbs focus only on to her, on to her moving performance. On how she said those words, as if he was the love-struck Romeo wanting Juliet for him to notice her, to notice his feelings for her. And he stood still, being absorbed by the angel in front of him.

"Deny thy father, and refuse thy name; or if thou wilt not, be but sworn, my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet." She froze. Hibari was glaring at her, but not that _I'll-bite-you-to-death _kind of glare, but different, as if he was looking at her at an altered angle. His eyes were blood-lust-less and his facial expression was unreadable. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, seeing that marvelous, in character performance acted out in front of him.

"Kyo-kun?!" Suddenly, the skylark began leaning towards the girl, not knowing what was happening. He himself didn't know what was happening. His body just moved on its own, as if Chrome's acting awakened something in him that made him do so.

His face was only a few inches away from Chrome when the door suddenly opened and Dino came in.

"Kyoya-kun! Chrome-chan! Let's go eat lun— What are you two doing?!" Immediately, Dino separated the two and Hibari gave him an angry stare.

"Tch. We were practicing." Hibari answered, walking towards his open window.

"For real? But the look on Kyoya's eyes right now were differe— "

"He's telling the truth, sensei. We were practicing the Balcony scene a while back. . ." Chrome backed up. It was true, anyway. Dino's just assuming things.

"Promise me, you two, when you practice for scenes like that, please do it with adult supervision." Dino sweat-dropped. It seems that these two are getting along just fine, just too fine actually. "We never know what happens. . ." Dino sighed. He wouldn't let his precious students do whatever they like. They are still minors.

Two days onward, Dino urged the anti-socialites to practice with their classmates in their classroom instead in Hibari's office, much to Hibari's dismay. He can feel his pride diminishing. It was embarrassing enough to act opposite of himself in front of Chrome, and now he has to do it in front of his class.

"Come on, Kyoya. You're gonna do it in front of the whole school anyway, so why not show it to your classmates?" Eagerly, Dino persuaded Hibari to act. Even the other students were excited to see Hibari display an attitude of not his own. Hibari didn't answer; he only stood silent, death glaring everyone on the room.

"Si-silence means 'yes', Kyoya," Dino spoke but Hibari continued glaring, "Alright, let's start practicing. From the top . . ."

But to their disappointment, Romeo's lines were cold and emotionless.

_Well, at least he memorized the lines._ Dino sighed.

**.:.:.:.:.:.**

"Kufufufu~"

"Shishou, what are you laughing at?" Asked a young Fran. His master has been acting weird since Chrome left last Saturday. She promised to return the next morning, but she didn't. Instead, she called that she will be staying at the Sasagawa's house for a while.

"My dear little Chrome is all grown up, leaving me here and whiles she is playing with her girlfriends, kufufu. It does not please me one bit, especially if that skylark is involve." He muttered to himself. True, he trusts the Sasagawa girl more than Sawada, but at the back of his mind, he is still thinking about the fact that dear Romeo is none other than Hibari Kyoya.

"Say, Fran, have you heard of Romeo and Juliet?" He asks his disciple. As a child, he never knew the story of the two, only which they both died in the end.

"My grandma told me their story when I was still in France. What of it, shisho?"

"Do the two lovers . . . ahh, never mind. You are too young."

Just then, Ken, Chikusa and M.M. entered the room carrying grocery bags in their hands. Ever since Chrome taught M.M how to cook, she's been buying cookbooks and experimenting different recipes. It was fine for the Kokuyo gang since they needed all the nutrients they can. Ken and Chikuse were always eating junk food and a young Fran's body needs to be healthy.

"If they kiss? They do, actually." M.M said from the kitchen. "I've read the story when I was a kid and watched a movie version of it. They kiss way too many times." Her voice was light, as if she imagined herself as Juliet being so much in love with Romeo. Then Chrome came into her mind. She remembered Chrome was playing Juliet. "N-not that I care anyway. I'm sure Chrome's too shy and timid that she'll be worst Juliet ever!"

"You don't know M.M. I always feel Chrome can do something unexpected one day. Maybe this might the one." Chikusa commented, busily pressing the buttons on a controller. He and Ken were playing a two-player game and Ken was beating the crap out of the poor buttons.

"Nah, that useless woman is useless beyond compare, byon~!" Ken said. (Somewhere in Nami-chuu, Chrome let out a sneeze.)

"Kufufufu~ Chikusa has a point."

"Shishou. I wanna watch Chrome's performance. Can I?" Fran asked, tugging the pineapple's elbow.

"Kufufu~ Maybe." _If I have the heart to see Chrome's kisses to be given to that Skylark._ Mukuro mused. He kept on silently laughing to himself for the next few minutes (and everyone thought he'd gone crazy) before M.M announced dinner's ready. The Kokuyo gang was totally freaked out by their master's weird behavior.

During dinner, the gang decided to watch the play since all of them were interested if Chrome can pass as Juliet or not. They kept on thinking if she can do it, with the soft voice she has and the intense role she was given. Plus, her co-actor is none other than that scary disciplinarian.

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Okay. I know it sounded rush, and it did. I'm really, really sorry! The next chapter's where the play happens. And it's going to take a long, long while, AGAIN.

And if by luck I suddenly got mental blocked (AGAIN), the next chapter maybe the last.

I'm kinda doing a Hibari X Chrome AU fanfic with a fellow KHR writer. So, I'm focusing much of my energy on that. And I hope you like this crappy chappie. Don't forget to leave a review!


	3. Chapter 3 - Act 1

**Author's Note:** Yo! As I've promised, here's the play! I won't be 100% following the original manuscript. I can't let you read Shakespearian words, can I? Of course I can't. So I changed a lot of words in the play to make it easier for you to understand. But I didn't change the story, though, I think XD

There are five Acts and 23 Scenes in the whole play. I will (by hook or by crook) put them all in here! In my own understanding, of course. I even borrowed a book with the unabridged version of the play just for this fanfic. But since the whole play is too long, I will divide the five Acts into the chapters. There are scenes from the original that aren't here, a reason for that is because I ran out of characters. This chapter has Act 1. The next chapter has Act 2 and so on.

Gaaaaaahhh! I really miss the theater days, right, Disenchanted Cinderella? But too bad we didn't play Romeo and Juliet (it was forbidden in our school because of some scenes, hehe). I miss being Shakespeare's Emilia in his work, Othello.

**BEWARE OF OOC HIBARI — AH WHO CARES. HE'S ACTING AFTER ALL. HE'S ACTING _TOO _PERFECTLY :D**

And to those who've reviewed, thank you so much! Here's a special corner for you guys!

- 96bittersweetblackcat

- Melodic Waters

- Frost190

- C.N.D

- CryoftheCat

- minekoanime

- MayanMoonFlower

- a better name

- Agoz25

- DameMeichii

- Guest

- pineappleFish

- LoverForAnime

- Disappearing Mist

- Happy Reader

- TheLemonGoddess

And here's the Character List:

**Montagues:**

ROMEO – Hibari Kyoya

LORD MONTAGUE – Naito Longchamp

LADY MONTAGUE – Shitt P

BENVOLIO – Gokudera Hayato

**Capulets:**

JULIET – Chrome Dokuro

LORD CAPULET – Tsunayoshi Sawada

LADY CAPULET – Kyoko Sasagawa

NURSE – Hana Kurokawa

TYBALT – Yamamoto Takeshi

.

PRINCE ESCALUS – Dino Cavallone

APOTHECARY – Suzuki Adelheid

MERCUTIO – Julie Kaitou

COUNT PARIS – Enma Kozato

FRIAR LAWRENCE – Ryohei Sasagawa

FRIAR JOHN – Aoba Kyoyo

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**My Juliet and Her Romeo – Chapter 3: Act 1**

Dino sighed with excitement. Today was finally the day of the play, _his _play. The performance would start in five minutes and he is getting his actors and actresses ready.

"Yosh! We have a full house, everyone." The Bronco smiled as he peeped at the audience behind the curtains. He saw Maman with Iemitsu, Bianchi (she was wearing a pair of glasses, Dino sweat-dropped), I-Pin, Lambo and Romario. Far behind were Colonello and Reborn and some of the Arcobalenos who were interested. He also saw Mukuro and his gang. But most of the audiences were Namimori students who were excited to see the Aloof Disciplinarian as Romeo.

"Ahh! The Star-Crossed Lovers! Break a leg, you two!" Dino patted his stars' shoulders. Chrome nodded in determination while Hibari casually brushed off the blond's hand. Dino wanted to give a few more lines of encouragement, but Shitt P.'s problem with her dress (and her balloons) has to be prioritized first.

"Okay! Does everyone have their lapel microphones on? Are they working?" Dino stormed off, asking every one of his actors.

"Etto, K-kyo-kun. . . ." Despite calling Hibari by his first name for a couple of weeks, Chrome still had the nervousness to say those two words out loud. Her cheeks were blushing as she struggled hard to look into the male's eyes.

"Hnn?"

"Uhm, later, at the End of the Day Dance, uhm, w-would you—"

"I don't like crowding, herbiv — Nagi." Hibari replied. He, too, was having a hard time calling her by that name. Especially now that the performance is near.

"Oww. O-okay then, Kyo-kun. . . G-good luck." Chrome bowed and Hibari nodded.

.

_Meanwhile . . ._

"Mukuro-sama, are you sure about this?" Chikusa monotonously asked as reading the play's pamphlet. Ken was already chowing down on the snacks they've bought earlier at the Cultural Festival.

"Kufufufu . . . Of course I am, Chikusa. Are you expecting me to faint as I see my dear Chrome dressed up as Juliet?"

"N-no, I mean, MM said there would be a kissing scene, and you might . . . you know, lose your temper." Chikusa commented, hiding his face behind the pamphlet.

"And ruin Chrome's image? Nonsense!"

"OH! I think it's starting." MM enthusiastically said, eyes focused on the stage.

_[Hello there! Sorry to be breaking the scene this early. Just wanted to inform you that after this side-note of mine, the play will start. The characters and their corresponding actors are posted above in the Author's Note. Feel free to check them out (and memorize them, if you can). I'll be narrating the audiences' thoughts and feelings whenever necessary. They will be the lines in italics. Enjoy the play!]_

**ACT ONE, SCENE ONE**

Prince Escalus enters the stage, greeted the audience with a smile and spoke his opening line.

"In fair Verona, two families of same social standing are at war with each other since the birth of their ancestor's grandfather. I, Prince Escalus, have told them not to wreak havoc in the quiet town of Verona or else, they will be punished." The Prince flipped his cape and exited the stage to the opposite direction from where he entered.

_The female students in the front row swooned as the handsome teacher left the stage with a flashy smile._

Benvolio enters, his right hand positioned above his eyes, as if he was searching for someone. "I wonder where that cousin of mine is." Benvolio said to himself, still searching._Bianchi, seeing her younger brother almost at the start of the play, gave the silver-head two thumbs up for good-luck._

". . . What do you need, herbi — cousin?" Romeo casually spoke. He didn't even turn his head to look at his cousin. Romeo was busy twirling a flower while sitting on a tree branch._Cue squeals from the girls._

"Where have you been? — Cousin, why do you sound dead so early in the morning?" Benvolio asked as Romeo jumped off the tree.

"Sad hours seem so long." Romeo's voice softened, emphasizing his forlorn façade.

"And what sadness lengthens Romeo's hours?"

"Not having _that_, in which, having them makes it so short."

"In love?" Benvolio smirked, disheveling his cousin's hair.

"Yes." Romeo frowned. Benvolio then hugged Romeo with one arm, beaming happily at his distressed cousin. (Author: GOKUDERA HUGGED HIBARI o_o AND LIVED TO TELL THE TALE)

"My feelings are not a laughing matter, Benvolio." Romeo hissed, brushing off Benvolio's arm.

"You, Romeo, are in love. What's not to laugh?" Benvolio backed away from Romeo as he moved his hands to form a huge heart in the air.

"You just don't understand. Farewell, coz." Irritated, Romeo started walking away, but Benvolio grabbed his arm.

"Romeo, wait! I can help. Who is this maiden whom you love?" Asked Benvolio.

Romeo's lips straightened as the question reached his mind. Sighing, he confessed. "In Cupid's eyes', I may be an easy target to hit, but to her, she has avoided such arrows. She's a beauty with brains yet, her heart is bare of emotions. My dear Rosaline has vowed a promise of chastity."

"Unrequited love, you say?"

"Yes."

"Then, forget her! Love is not a one-sided feeling. Romeo, my beloved cousin, there are many fishes in the sea. And you have a bucket full of worms." Enthusiastically, Benvolio shoved his cousin forward. But the raven-haired shook his head in disdain.

"I can't forget an angel such as her."

Sorrowfully, Romeo exited the stage with Benvolio behind him.

**ACT ONE, SCENE TWO**

Lord Capulet enters with Count Paris and a servingman. Lord Capulet almost tripped on his robe while Paris was shivering slightly. The servingman was trying hard not to laugh._But the audiences were laughing their hearts out._

_(Author: The Dame-Duo! n_n kawaii~!)_

"Montague and I, we both are growing old." Lord Capulet sighed heavily. Paris was walking along with him while the servingman was not far from behind.

"But despite the feud between the both of you, your reputation throughout Verona is of equal respect. It is a pity that time has been against you." Says Count Paris, trying as much to make his voice louder.

"So it is."

"I want to marry your daughter, my lord." Paris asked, smiling genuinely towards Lord Capulet. But Capulet remained silent as if he was having an internal turmoil with himself.

"The loving Earth has swallowed all my hopes and dreams, but with my Juliet, they can rise again. Paris, flatter her and make her fall in love with you. Guide her well and respect her.

Count, there is a party at my household later this evening. I would certainly do the honors of announcing you to entire Verona of your proposal to my daughter." Capulet shook Paris' hands. The Count nodded.

To the servingman, the Lord addressed, giving the man a piece of rolled paper, "Take this list and visit everyone who are written on it." The servingman bowed as the Capulet and Paris exited the stage.

Confused, the servingman opened the list and attempted to read it. But he was a man of no education and thus, he could not read the invitation his master gave.

Romeo and Benvolio entered the stage once more and saw the servingman scratching his head in desperation.

"Good morning, lad. What seems to be the problem?" Romeo asks, eyeing the piece of paper.

"Good morning gentlemen. May I ask if any of you knows how to read?" The servingman handed over the piece of paper. The two Montagues had a quick look.

"I can read it for you, sir. It says:

_Signior Martino and his wife and daughters,_

_County Anselme and his beauteous sisters,_

_The lady widow of Vitruvio,_

_Signior Placentio and his lovely nieces,_

_Mercutio and his brother Valentine,_

_My Uncle Capulet, his wife and daughters,_

_My fair niece Rosaline and Livia,_

_Signior Valentio and his cousin Tybalt,_

_Lucio and the lively Helena._

Where is this gathering, young man?" Asks Romeo interestingly. He was sure that he saw his beloved's name up in the list. He read it again and confirmed his thoughts.

"To my master's house."

"Ah, I should have known."

"I thank you for helping me read it, good sirs. My master is Lord Capulet and, if you two gentlemen are not from the Montagues, then you are most welcome to the party. It's the least I could do to the both of you. Good-bye." The servingman exits, leaving Romeo and Benvolio baffled.

"Rosaline is invited."

"So I've read."

". . . Let's go to the party. If you compare her to the other young maidens present in the party, then your feelings for Rosaline might change. Isn't that what you want?"

"Fine, if it's a way to make me forget my unwanted feelings." Romeo sighed and both of them exited.

**ACT ONE, SCENE THREE**

_The stage lights were turned off and the stage helpers changed the scene. When the lights were turned on, a sofa and a small table was placed in center stage. The lights were dimly lit. Lady Capulet and the Nurse enter the stage. Lady Capulet sits on the sofa while the Nurse was walking about._

"Nurse, where's Juliet?" Lady Capulet asks, eyeing the Nurse.

"She's somewhere here, madam. Shall I call her?" Inquires the Nurse.

"Yes, call her immediately."

_The Nurse walks of backstage, searching for Juliet._

"Juliet, little Juliet, come here!" The Nurse calls for the maiden.

_The Nurse re-entered the stage with Juliet walking behind her._

"You called, mother?" Asks Juliet, her voice soft yet loud enough for the lapel mic to catch its decibels.

"Yes dear. — Nurse, can you leave us for some privacy?" Lady Capulet stood up, a huge, warm smile planted upon her face. She walked left and right for a few moments until she called back the Nurse.

"On second thought, Nurse, come back. You need to hear this. You know more of my daughter than I do." Lady Capulet said, nervously walking about.

"Honestly, Madam. It's true. Juliet is the prettiest girl I've ever seen grow up. Why, I'd die happy to see her marry." The Nurse smiled towards Juliet, who in return, blushed at the Nurse's comment._Somewhere in the audience, a vein popped on MM's head. "Pretty? Tsss. I'm prettier than her." Says MM, earning a small but menancing glare from Mukuro._

"Yes, and marriage is the issue I must talk about to you. — Tell me, Juliet, what do you think of marriage?" Asks the Lady, cupping both of her daughter's hands in hers.

"M-marriage? I-it is an honor in which I haven't e-even thought of." Juliet answered, slightly shocked at the sudden topic.

"Then think of it now, Juliet. The young Count Paris is asking for your hand in marriage." The lady then hugged her daughter tightly.

"My, what luck! That man is the ideal man nowadays. Ladies swoon over him countless of times in the past." The Nurse commented.

"What do you say, Juliet? Can you love him? — Tonight, your father and I have invited him to our party. There, you will meet him. Dance with him, and fall in love with him." Lady Capulet's voice was dreamy, as if she was remembering the memories she had when she was in love.

"I will look at him and see, if looking is a way of falling in love." Juliet answered briefly.

A servingman enters the stage, announcing that the guests are arriving. All of them exited.

**ACT ONE, SCENE FOUR**

_The stage lights dimmed again and the sofa and the table were removed. The stage was barren except for two torch lights standing in the middle. Romeo, Benvolio, and their good-friend Mercutio enter the stage. Mercutio is giving masks to Romeo and Benvolio._

"Should we apologized for intruding the party, or should we go on and dance away?" Romeo asked as he wears the mask Mercutio gave him. Romeo's mask was painted silver, Benvolio's were gold and Mercutio's were a pale red.

"Tut tut. We will not dance with the ladies while explaining to them we're not invited now, do we? That's hilarious, Romeo." Chuckled Benvolio who was also wearing his mask.

"Then I will leave. Give me a torch. I will walk myself home." Romeo said, turning around opposite of his friends.

"No, no. Romeo, we will see you dance. You want to forget Rosaline, right?" Mercutio extended an arm over Romeo's shoulder, stopping him and making him turn back.

"You two have dancing shoes, while my soul is made of lead that stakes me to the ground so I cannot move." Romeo brushed off Mercutio's hands and resumed his walking.

"But you are a lover, Romeo. Borrow Cupid's wings and soar with his soft feathers while dancing." Mercutio blocked Romeo's way once more. He's not letting this Montague go.

"I am much too depressed to fly with his soft feathers that I might sink first under the sad burden of love." Romeo glared at his friend. His depression was slowly turning to irritation.

"But if you sink in it, you'll be insulting such a tender thing." Mercutio retorted.

"Tender? How can love be a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like a thorn." Romeo scoffed, both arms crossed.

"If love is being rough with you, be rough with love. Prick love for pricking you, and you will beat love down. — Come on, Romeo. Give love a second chance." Mercutio smirked, shoving Romeo in Benvolio's direction.

"Heh. Look, the party is starting, but I think we missed supper. Too bad." Benvolio grabbed Romeo's hand and the three of them exit.

**ACT ONE, SCENE FIVE**

_The stage lights were turned off and four pillars were placed on the stage. The whole household of the Capulet enters. Juliet and most of the ladies and gents were dancing at the right side of the stage while Lord Capulet and some other gentlemen were busy talking to each other. Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio enter the stage. Lord Capulet welcomes them._

"Welcome, boys! Better late than never, they say." Lord Capulet ushered the three unwanted visitors towards the dance floor. Lord Capulet exits and a formal dance started. Romeo and his companions joined the said dance.

Romeo then caught sight of Juliet. Immediately, he was infatuated. He waltzed his way towards her. When the next exchange of partners occurred, her made sure Juliet was his new partner. The song ended and he bid farewell to his partner.

Immediately, Romeo inquired who the lady was.

"Who is that lady over there, sir?" He asked a servingman.

"I don't know sir." The man replied. Romeo bowed. He took three steps forward, almost at the tip of the stage, and started muttering his feelings.

"She shines brighter than the evening stars; her gentle face rivals the beauty of gems." Romeo took a quick glance at Juliet, who was talking to a small circle of women her age. "She's like the pure dove among the common ravens. — When she touched my hand, I felt my palm being blessed. Did my heart throb this fast before? I'm sure it didn't. I have never seen such beauty till this night." Romeo sighed happily. _The majority of the girls in the audience squealed. Hibari's smile was a really, really rare sight._

Not far from where Romeo was standing, Tybalt was talking to his uncle, Lord Capulet. He heard Romeo's voice and turned to look at him. Despite Romeo's mask, he knew it was the Montague's son.

"Uncle, there is a Montague in the premises. He's here to ruin our merry-making." Tybalt coldly said, glaring at Romeo who was talking to some other masked men. _Again, the audience squealed tremendously. For the gentle Yamamoto to act as cold as Tybalt, it was a sight to see._

"A Montague? Romeo, is it?" Asks Capulet, looking in the same direction Tybalt was looking.

"Yes, uncle. It is the villainous Romeo." Tybalt said. He slowly called a servingman to get his rapier.

"Calm down, good nephew. Romeo is a well-mannered kid, unlike his father. Let him be. He seems to be enjoying the party." Capulet said.

"For tonight, I shall tolerate his presence." Tybalt sighed in defeat. He one last look at Romeo and started walking off.

"Very good." Capulet said. Both of them exited.

Another dance song came and the adults were enjoying it. The youngsters were to watch by the sides. Romeo took this opportunity to talk to Juliet. He hid himself behind one of the pillars where Juliet stood.

"If I should defile with my unworthy hands this holy shrine, I confess that my simple sin is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims, are ready to smoothen out that rough touch with a tender kiss." Romeo murmured behind Juliet, hiding his presence from the eyes of the Capulet guards.

"Good pilgrim, your hands are not unworthy. But palm to palm is considered a holy palmer's kiss." Juliet replied, turning around to face the mysterious 'pilgrim'.

Romeo moved from the behind the pillar to the farthest left part of the stage. No one was there since they were participating in the dance. Romeo and Juliet had their privacy.

"But don't the saints have lips, and holy palmers too?" Romeo asked, adjusting his mask. Even with the dim lighting, Juliet can see the smile across Romeo's face. _And of course, the audience as well._

"Of course they do, but they use their lips in prayer." Juliet answered with a giggle. Romeo froze. That was the sweetest sound he'd ever heard.

"Then, lovely saint. Let my lips do what hands do." Romeo smiled as holding Juliet's hands.

"Saints do not move. But they grant prayers." Juliet smiled along.

"Then, don't move as I make my prayer." Romeo kisses Juliet on her lips.

_Dino was intensely watching from backstage. He remembered those hours in which he, Hibari and Chrome practiced the multiple kissing scenes. He doesn't want to show public displays of affection during the show, or he might get fired. Dino explained to Hibari how to kiss Chrome while on these scenes. Hibari was to hide Chrome's face with the back of his head, turning a bit of Chrome's head in the process. Chrome then covers her lips with the back of her palm. Hibari doesn't kiss Chrome on the lips, instead, he kisses Chrome's palm. Dino sighed triumphantly as Hibari 'kisses' Chrome correctly. But he guessed Hibari kissed her longer than expected._

_The audience 'oohed' and 'aahed'. They held their breaths, thinking that Romeo actually did kiss Juliet on the lips, but was just simply hiding it. Mukuro held his temper. 'It's only a peck on the lips. Not much reason to get angry about.' He said to himself._

"By my lips, my sins are cleansed." Romeo broke the kiss, leaving a blushing Juliet in the process.

"But you have sinned my lips instead." Juliet chuckled slightly. Romeo was baffled.

"Forgive me! Let me have my sins back." Romeo kisses her again, longer this time.

"Madam, your mother calls for you." From the dance floor, Nurse called out Juliet. Juliet left Romeo, not even bidding farewell, and went to her mother.

"Who is her mother?" Asked Romeo to the Nurse.

"Her mother is the lady of the house, young bachelor. I nursed her daughter, the lady whom you spoke to earlier." The Nurse replied, moving towards Lady Capulet.

Once again, Romeo stepped forward, murmuring to himself.

"Is she a Capulet? My life is at my enemy's hands." Romeo shook his head in disbelief. Benvolio finally saw him and armed Romeo's shoulder again.

"Let's go Romeo. I think you had fun." Benvolio offered.

Lord Capulet announced that desserts were about to be served in the dining room. Everybody started to exit except for Juliet and the Nurse.

"Nurse, who's that young man?" Juliet whispered to her Nurse, eyes in the direction of the guests leaving.

"He's the son and heir of Lord Tiberio." Answered the Nurse.

"How about that man in the blue shirt?"

"I think that's Petruchio."

"How about the man behind Petruchio, the one with the silver mask?"

" . . . I don't know, madam."

"Can you ask his name for me, Nurse?" Juliet pleaded. The Nurse obediently followed and went to ask the man his name.

"Oh, I hope he's not married! If so, then my grave is my wedding bed." Juliet murmured to herself anxiously. _In the audience, MM murmured to herself bitterly, "Just go die already, Ju-li-et."_

The Nurse returned and gave her answer to Juliet. "He is Romeo, a Montague. The only son of you great enemy."

"Oh, my heart was stolen by the one I hate! If I only knew, but I found out too late. Why was I born to hate the person I love?" Juliet cried out as the last of the guests left the stage.

"What's this? What's this?" Dumbfound, the Nurse digested the words she heard from Juliet's mouth. "Come child, we'll talk of this later."

Juliet and Nurse exit.

**END OF ACT ONE**

* * *

LP: ACT ONE finished. The very, very, VERY FAMOUS BALCONY SCENE is in the NEXT chapter. More kissing scenes~! Lewl. I'm joking Mukuro. Don't stab me.

Mukuro: Kufufu~ Let my Chrome be kissed with that skylark, and I'll send you to the deepest pits of hell.

LP: Eeeeeh?! So you haven't read Chapter 2, Mukuro?

Mukuro: No, I haven't. Why, is there something special in chapter two?

LP: N-no, not actually. Hahaha. Look forward to the next chapters, Mukuro. You'll be thrilled.

Mukuro: Make sure I am, or else.

LP: Hai, hai. Anyways, what do you think guys? Was Act One a little bit off? Did you find it weird? Kindly review down on what you think. I'll gladly reply to it!

I really wanted to put Mercutio's lines about Queen Mab, but his monologue was too long that it confused me and I couldn't find the correct words to paraphrase it. Oh well.

QUESTION TO ALL READERS: As you have read, I have paraphrased the unabridged version of R&J. Should I also paraphrase these well-known lines of Juliet?:

"_Oh Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?_

_Deny thy father and refuse thy name,_

_Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,_

_And I'll no longer be a Capulet."_

DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW, OKAY?!


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